Online or Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) for family assistance and Parental Leave Pay (PPL) 133-03010070

Customers with a Centrelink online account can claim the following payments:

• Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for the current financial year which automatically includes Newborn Supplement (NBS) and Newborn Upfront Payment (NBU) if they:
• indicate they do not intend claiming PPL, or
• are not eligible for PPL for the child
• FTB as a lump sum for the previous financial year
• Parental Leave Pay (PPL)
• Stillborn Baby Payment (SBP)

For information on the online and ACC processes for the family assistance payments not covered in this procedure, see how customers can make an online claim for:

• Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
• Single Income Family Supplement (SIFS) (grandfathered only)

Customers can use the Payment and Service Finder on the Services Australia website. This will check for the most appropriate service offer based on their circumstances.

Online

Customers need a Centrelink online account to claim:

• Family Tax Benefit (FTB)
• Parental Leave Pay (PPL). This includes Approval Givers who are giving approval for their partner or the other parent to claim PPL. It applies even when they are not claiming PPL for themselves. The Approval Giver needs to complete the approval task in their Centrelink online account.
• Stillborn Baby Payment (SBP)

To start their claim, they need to sign in to their Centrelink online account through myGov.

Customers:

• need to answer questions relevant to their circumstances
• can save their responses and continue with their claim later (incomplete online claims expire if not submitted within 13 weeks of being started)
• can submit an online claim after:
• answering all mandatory questions
• accepting a declaration
• uploading the required documents

Customers can voluntarily withdraw or cancel their claim within 14 days of submitting an online claim.

Assisted Customer Claim (ACC)

Service Officers can complete the claim by running ACC with the customer or start the claim in ACC and encourage the customer to finish the claim online. Customers can monitor the progress of their completed claim through:

• their Centrelink online account, or
• the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app

If a customer contacts after submitting an online claim or ACC, see Progress of claims - Families claims.

The started ACC will expire if not submitted within 13 weeks.

Customers can also cancel the ACC if it is not yet submitted, or withdraw it after the claim has been submitted.

Families customers can claim standalone FTB or PPL, or submit a combined claim for both of these up to 97 days before a child's:

• expected date of birth, or
• entry into care as part of an adoption process

Secondary claimants claiming PPL for a child born or adopted before 1 July 2023 can also claim in this period.

Note: Foster carers cannot pre-claim and claim should be rejected unless it can be confirmed the child's entry into care is part of an adoption process.

PPL customers may need to verify their income, unless their income has already been verified for the relevant financial year.

Customers must verify their income if:

• they have not already verified their income for the relevant financial year, and
• their income is 90% and above of the relevant financial year income limit

The Next steps page advises the customer of further information or documents required for them to submit their claim.

Service Officers can offer Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) to correspondence nominees.

They must annotate the Progress of Claim DOC that the nominee:

• submitted the claim on the customer's behalf, and
• provided a verbal declaration or signed paper declaration

Nominees who decline ACC need to have the relevant claim form issued through the Customer First Mail Forms Guided Procedure. The Resources page includes links to paper claim forms for FTB and PPL.